Welcome To The Little Olive
Hello, and welcome my little olives! :)
This is a blog that I am putting together to share my passion for the few things that gives me life, and that is food, restaurants and recipes!
Since I was a little girl I’ve always had a great appreciation for food. Growing up with an immigrant parent, I was extremely privileged to have access to the the hundreds of meals that expanded my pallet and taste. In the Arab culture food quite literally brought peace to opposing groups, and was something to celebrate. (Check out this link on Mansaf and see what I mean.) I grew up around family that would make fantastic feasts with flavor profiles that were so complex and different to the American food profile that I also grew up with. This admiration for the food carried on until my current day, where I make the recipes that have been passed down for generations. They connect me to a land, that I have not yet set foot in, but one day will do so
Along with rich cultural upbringings, I was lucky to befriend other minorities and immigrant children to learn about their rich cultures. Without them, I wouldn’t have Haitian food on my radar at all times. Or even a craving for Soul Food and Nigerian Fufu. There’s something to appreciate when there’s a melting pot of people and communities that share their stories through the thing we all need to survive. It’s even fun to see that there’s overlap in the foods where we have similarities or one group shared their concepts with one another. It brings us together rather than separating us.
Another blessing that I received from my Dad is that he (despite saying he’s not a foodie) is a foodie. I grew up in restaurant culture, as we had our own places growing up. I know what it takes to work in a small business and forever praise those who take the leap. Along with us owning restaurants, he always took me to small businesses around Columbus,Ohio and trying different cuisines. He’d take me out for Thai food, Chinese, small Italian Bakeries, Jewish Deli’s, and anything that caught his eye to try we were there. And if we couldn’t find what I saw on the food network or travel channel, we’d get the foods together and take a stab at making it ourselves. I am thankful for that.
I want to share my knowledge and love for small businesses, unique foods, and rich culture with you all and hopefully nurture the desire to try something new today. I cannot wait to share more!
Thank you and I hope to share more soon!